Sociology is a popular option at GCSE and the skills developed in the subject are transferable to many subjects at GCSE and beyond. Society is not a fixed construct; it is constantly changing and being reshaped. Students of Sociology are curious about the world around them. The course is broad and challenging, encouraging students to interpret the social world from many different perspectives. 

Main areas studied at KS4:

At GCSE level students study a broad range of topics and theories and develop their understanding of how sociologists conduct their research.

Unit 1: The sociological approach; Sociological research methods; Families; Education (studied in Y10)
Unit 2: Crime and Deviance and Social Stratification (studied in Y11)

Assessment:  Students are assessed via two 1 hour and 45 minute written exam papers for each unit, comprised of short questions and essay questions. Each paper is worth 100 marks each and makes up 50% of the GCSE. There is no coursework or controlled assessment for this qualification. Developing essay writing skills and presenting arguments is central to learning over the duration of the course. This GCSE qualification is linear. Linear means that students will sit all their exams at the end of the course (Y11). 

Structure of questions:  Each paper is split into two separate sections; Section A and Section B. Both sections are structured in exactly the same way; both papers comprise of two multiple choice questions followed by a range of short and extended responses.